The Devil and the Demon
by GypsyReaper
Summary: Hellsing X Predator crossover. Alucard is sent to the States to take care of a monster that's killing armed thugs and stealing their skulls. It's Alucard vs. the Predator!
1. Chapter 1

The Devil and The Demon 

Chapter One

"Alucard, I'm sending you to Los Angelos," said the solemn blonde-haired woman-Sir Integra of Hellsing-to her servant, the vampire Alucard.

Alucard grinned. "The City of Lost Angels, Master? I should fit right in."

Sir Integra ignored her servant's remark and lit a cigar. "There have been reports of murders. Bodies have turned up skinned, dismembered, and decapitated." She glanced at the report in her hands. "Almost every body has its skull and spine removed."

"This doesn't sound like the work of a young or even an experienced vampire," Alucard said, his blood-red eyes glinting. "This sounds like something _new_."

Sir Integra made it a point not to look at the growing psychotic grin on the vampire king's face. "Yes, well, whatever it is, I want you to take care of it."

"Of course, Master." Alucard tilted his head to the side. "However, why is my Master bothering herself with the problems of the Americans? Can they not take care of it themselves?"

"Normally, I would," Integra said around her cigar, wondering idly why she was explaining herself to her servant. "But this could be something important, and I don't trust those bloody yankees to _not _fuck-up somehow. I want this taken care of quickly and quietly, understood?"

"Of course, Master." Alucard bowed, then took a step back through the wall and was gone.

"Something new, Walter," Integra quoted a few minutes later to the butler standing beside her desk. "Why is it that whenever Alucard is happy, it's never a good sign?"

"I wouldn't worry too much, Mum," Walter said. He had a small grin on his face. "Besides, at least he'll be enjoying himself on another continent."

In the over 400 years Alucard had been alive, he had learned how to be patient. Now, as the Hellsing jet neared the end of the 17 hour non-stop flight from the mansion to the Los Angeles International Airport, he found himself almost..._excited_. He had read all the police reports, given to him by Walter, on the plane. The main 'victims,' so to speak, were either members of the Jamaican Voodoo Gang, the Columbian gang, or police officers, with a few random citizens thrown into the mix. The No-Life King quickly dismissed the bodies as those of a vampire. No blood had been taken, but body parts had been. Some had been skinned, most decapitated, and a large number found hanging upside-down from the rafters of buildings, a feat no human could have pulled off, in some cases. He also picked up on the fact that all the people had been armed when they were killed.

"No sport in killing defenseless prey," he said to himself with a chuckle. If he thought about it, most of _his _prey had been quite defenseless against him in battle, except for that annoying priest. This was certainly going to be a interesting hunt; he wished he was holding his Jackal now, feeling its slight recoil (bone-shattering to a human) and smelling the fire and oil. Wait a moment; was great Alucard getting restless? This was certainly a new feeling...

It was warm, about 90 degrees, despite the twelve A.M. hour. Steam rose from the sidewalks, and the buildings themselves seemed to be sweating. The air was still, and stifling. No one was out, many in the comfort of overworked air conditioners that dripped water onto the sidewalks. To the numerous humans, it was the Earthly version of Hell, with the heat and the crime; to the Hunter, it was the perfect playground.

The Hunter crouched on the edge of a building, surveying its kingdom, heat blooms on its thermatic vision of steam and gas. There were few humans about, but he probably wouldn't have hunted them anyway; he already had more than enough trophies, the skulls and spines of a dozen humans. Humans were said to be great prey for his kind, but so far, none of them had been anything extraordinary. The thrill of the hunt was shallowing. This was blasphemy, but he was becoming..._bored_!

Soon, his ship would come and get him, but he was beginning to feel this was not soon enough. Still being a young Hunter, this was another test for him, to hunt on a planet alone, but he was confident he had passed with praise to U'Thre. As he looked over the city, he suddenly felt a tingle of anticipation. The Hunter stood and glanced around, but there was nothing near him, save for a few pigeons; what was he feeling?

There was a rumbling in the sky, and the Hunter turned around and ducked and a large private plane flew over him, descending towards the airport. He almost shot the plane with his cannon out of instinct, but it would be a sneak attack, and unhonorable. As the plane passed overhead, the feeling of anticipation grew until it engulfed his being, and as he watched the plane land, he purred and growled to himself.

There was another hunter on that human ship. A hunter coming after _him_!

With a loud roar of challange, the Hunter literally disappeared in the night, becoming invisible as he ran over the rooftops to face his new enemy, the blood pumping and thrill of the hunt more powerful than ever before.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

He stood on the top of the stairs, blood eyes peering through golden lenses, intently watching the behemoth jets move around the tarmac. Alucard's grin widened, his fangs peeking out between thin lips in a grin of happy insanity, with a touch of burning curiosity. _So, this is the City of Angels? Devils would fit in with the decor better; I can smell the brimstone from here. _Alucard's grin was growing by the second as he placed his red hat on his head of inky black hair, and his white gloved hands inched towards his guns under his long, red coat.

He inhaled sharply, breathing in the blood, death, oil, smoke, and rotted, fleshy scents of the city, which in turn sent long dormant thrill racing up his old veins. The old vampire agent was actually looking forward to this battle with renewed vigor. Yes, he was always interested in his own battles, but was usually disappointed in his enemy's fighting ability. This time, he was surely promised a good battle.

"Come out, demon!" He called out, hands resting on his guns, both huge pistols, one black, one silver. _Me, calling something else a demon? How hypocritical _he chastised himself cheerfully. "I'm looking forward to our meeting, and I don't like to be kept waiting!"

A slight breeze stirred, gently twisting up his coat in its smooth fingers. Alucard knew that his enemy was watching him; he could feel unfamiliar eyes watching him intently. This only made him grin even more maniacally, and he grabbed his guns, holding them in the air. "What are you waiting for? I'm armed and ready to do battle!"

This set the ball rolling within seconds. One second, the vampire was alone; the next, three dots of red light in the shape of a triangle were over his heart, or, where his heart would be, had he one. He recognized a laser sight when he saw one, dodged to the side, and missed the odd lightning bolt that came out of nowhere and melted part of the metal stairs on the plane. Alucard landed on the ground beside the steps, then looked up, but saw nothing. An invisible enemy using highly advanced weaponry? This hasn't going to the usual hack-n-slash job he was assigned, fighting dozens of human-turned-ghoulish monsters, which were pretty much zombies with fangs.

Alucard was able to stand and laugh in joy at his new playmate before another lightning bolt was shot at him from the skyscrapers. He marked the place in his mind and took off running at full speed across the tarmac at the buildings, moving faster than the Predator anticipated a human to move.

The only reason Alucard wasn't missing his head by this point was the fact that the Predator had been having a hard time finding him. While the vampire has been issuing his challenge, the Predator had been coming to the conclusion that he had been given a rather peculiar enemy. First of all, there was _no heat signature_. The Predator could see movement, and if he concentrated hard enough, he could see Alucard's outline on the top of the airplane stairway. It was like his prey was dead, the way it's body was cold. Even Kainde amedha had signatures, but they took time to find, that was all. The alien hunter had to go through his various fields of vision before finding one that gave the background a greenish appearance and made Alucard a black figure. It was at this time that Alucard waved his guns, which the Predator accepted as a challenge, which he whole-heartedly answered with a shot from his plasma cannon.

When Alucard charged across the tarmac, he again caught the hunter off guard, for he moved much faster than any human had the right to move. It was like he was flying instead of running. It was when Alucard started running _up _the the side of the building that the Predator decided to find another stage to battle on. Tapping a few keys on his wrist computer, the Predator disabled his cannon and took off at a sprint across the apartment roof-top he was on, leaving huge dents in it. Almost immediately, Alucard jumped on the roof and began following, his footsteps thunderous on the metal roof, laughing maniacally.

"I love a good hunt!" the No-Life King shouted in glee, whipping his guns around and firing off several rounds, the blasts echoing off the surrounding buildings. The Predator leapt off the side of the building, the silver bullets with the Hellsing cross imprinted on them whizzing by harmlessly, grabbed onto the gutter pipe and slide down until leaping off and landing on another roof. Alucard was right behind him, jumping off and firing at the roof below him, eyes insane with glee. He landed on the bullet-ridden roof, the last blast of the gun still resounding around him. He stood up slowly, looking around at the storage buildings on the roof that could offer excellent cover to whatever he was hunting, and found the silence now deafening. His grin grew as he emptied his gun's clips, the empty clips bouncing off the metal roof loudly.

"Whatever you are, you're certainly good at running," Alucard called out, reaching into his belt for extra clips. "However, I want to know how good you are at fighting." The gun clips slide into the guns with a satisfied click. "Come out and face me!" he roared.

There was a whistle in the air behind him, and Alucard dodged to the side just as a nine-foot-spear whizzed by and buried itself almost halfway up the shaft in one of the storage buildings. Alucard brought his guns around and began firing at the spot the spear had come from, but the Predator had already leapt away. Unsure were his prey was, the vampire began firing in all directions, the bullets making music as they ricocheted off of metal buildings. He was having so much fun trying to find his prey, he didn't see the spear wrench itself out of the wall it was stuck in.

There was sudden movement behind him, and he whipped around, bringing Jackal into his sights. His eyes opened in surprise as the spear thrust itself through his body, blood pouring. Alucard was impaled, lifted off the ground, then flung off to the side, crashing into a wall and falling in a heap on the roof. He didn't move for a moment, long enough for the Predator to "shrink up" its spear to half the size, before moving towards him.

Alucard hadn't been taken in surprise in a long time, and nobody got the best of him. Yet here he was, lying here like a pile of limbs; all limp and unable to move. After another minute, and with a grunt, the vampire got himself into a sitting position, and looked as from the shadows came a moving...something. Alucard could see movement, and make out two arms, legs, and a head, but there was no detail. Had he not known of his enemies abilities, he might have thought he was simply seeing heat waves.

The Hellsing agent looked down at the wound in his stomach, the hole that was the size of a fist and all the way through. He leaned his head down, studying the blood and the wound. A white gloved hand swiped up some blood, brought it to his lips, his long tongue lapping at the blood and his eyes becoming alive. "I haven't tasted my own blood since my first run in with that meddlesome priest. I haven't this much fun in years!" He laughed loudly, and this in itself caught the approaching hunter off-guard.

_Any creature would be shrieking and screaming in fear and pain, or dying from shock. Yet this ooman is...laughing? _Before the Predator could ponder the matter any further, he was standing over Alucard, raising his spear to finish off the strange human. Alucard looked up at the outline he was only capable of seeing, and grinned the biggest 'shit-eating' grin that was possible.

The Predator, upon seeing such insanity in one face, faltered for a second, and that was all the time Alucard needed. With his long legs, he kicked out, catching the alien in the shin and forcing him down. The Predator would have fallen, but stuck the spear-point into the roof and spun around to see Alucard dive for his Jackal. He brought the gun up, and smiled at the caught off-guard Predator before pulling the trigger.

The bullets flew out toward the alien creature...and buried themselves in the wall behind him. Alucard had shot wild, missing on purpose. Though he had the advantage, he certainly didn't want this to be over too quickly; he was having too much fun for that. However, one bullet did graze the alien's leg, and florescent green blood began to flow. The Predator decided that it was best to find another place to battle, perhaps somewhere with a height advantage. The blood marking him so he could be seen, the creature ran and leapt off the building's edge and disappeared into the night. The Jackal was quiet, and Alucard peered over his yellow glasses at where the Predator had gone.

"You can only run so far!" He called into the night. "I'm enjoying this more and more." He glanced at the trail of bright green blood and his fangs flashed.

"Yes, more and more."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

If the Predator had been human, his thoughts would have been similar too _"What the fuck is that thing?" _Perhaps this very thought crossed his alien mind as he ran/limped over the rooftops, trying to distance himself from the ooman. It wasn't that he was running away, oh no, nothing so disgraceful. The hunter simply needed to heal himself before continuing the hunt. How could he properly hunt and enjoy himself if he was limping around like an elder? He couldn't, so he had retreated for the time being.

After a while, he stopped, and collapsed heavily behind a shed-like building on a roof a few miles away. He looked at the bullet wound on his leg and decided it wasn't too serious; it was a shallow graze, which accounted for the heavy bleeding, but it wasn't a health risk. The hunter couldn't even remember hearing about any one of his species dying from blood loss alone. However, it still needed tended. Pulling off his shoulder pack and rummaging in it, the Predator pulled out a syringe and a tube of strange liquid. He grimaced slightly; the Predator didn't have a liking for shots, but it was necessary to fight off infection. Clenching his fist, he injected the shot into the wound and bellowed as it stung.

When the pain subsided, he slathered the contents of the tube onto the wound, sealing it. The cooling effect made him sigh in relief after the painful sting. After a few moments, he was able to move normally, and the wound didn't bleed anymore. Now, to take care of this...ooman. Taking in the surrounding area, the Predator would've grinned when he realized it was a perfect battleground. The building he was on now was in the middle of several taller ones. This was the height advantage he was wanting. Seeing the trail of bright green blood he had left behind, the hunter realized he only had a short time to set up his trap before his prey arrived. However, a familiar scent filtered into the mask, and the Predator realized that he was near the slaughterhouse. It wouldn't hurt to grab a bite to eat before the ooman arrived. Tapping away at his wrist computer, he disappeared towards the warehouse entrance.

Alucard grinned, his tinted sunglasses sliding down on his nose until red eyes peered over them, following the green splots as they disappeared onto the next roof. "I wonder what sort of monster this thing is," he mused to himself, calmly walking beside the trail of blood. "It's not a vampire, but not a man, neither. And with such technology at its disposal...this really _is _something new." Suddenly, a loud roar filled the air. Alucard's head snapped up, eyes narrowed. The sound was quickly swallowed up by the night, but the vampire still couldn't help pulling out his Jackal and Casull. "Well, no matter what it is, it can still feel the effects of my Jackal. Too bad this...hunter...won't get to live very long. I was just beginning to enjoy this." He bit down on the barrel and cocked the black pistol with the moonlight glinting off of his glasses.

"Can't you see Herrigan? The technology alone we could learn from this...visitor could change everything about the world!" Keyes said, the thinning-haired man currently dressed in what looked to be a hazmat suit covered in aluminum foil.

"You're crazy!" said Herrigan, the black police lieutenant who was currently covered in sweat and a bit of blood, looked at him like he was, well, crazy. The policeman couldn't help the thought_ Crazy white asshole _float through his mind. "Let me get this straight. You and your team-dressed like escapees from the mental house-are going to go into that slaughterhouse and try to catch an alien?" _You're the stupidest, craziest fuck_, though not spoken, was apparent in Herrigan's tone.

"You saw its work for yourself, so don't look at me like that, Herrigan. You've lost your entire team to it," Keyes said. "Now we're just evening the score."

Before Herrigan could throw out another "You're outta your goddamn mind," Keyes turned from him and began checking monitors and talking to his other teammates inside the trailer/secret operations base. Keyes' lakey, a big guy used to following orders, began leading Herrigan into another room. "Alright team. We know the visitor is here, so let's suit up and move out!"

"You're gonna get 'em killed, asshole!" Herrigan roared before he was shoved through a door into a back room.

The slaughterhouse was dark, the electricity shut down to the entire place, the only illumination coming from the flashlights on the shoulders of the government team. The air was thick from the 'flakes' falling through the air, designed to land on the alien's skin and prevent it from going invisible. The silver suits hide all body heat, making the people effectively invisible. Each had a large pack on their back connected to a gun that would shoot cold streams. These men were on a mission, but not to kill but to capture. Freeze the creature and bring it back for study.

It seemed like a simple enough plan.

Outside of the meat house were a series of white trailers, the base for the team. Inside was Herrigan and a few technicians, watching the action via video feed and a a map that acted as radar, pinpointing everyone's-including the Predator's-position. The hunter was currently running through the second floor, completely visible to anyone who cared to look, unaware of the people just below his feet. Herrigan watched with a mixture of curiosity, fear, and vengeance. This thing had killed Danny-boy, and although it wasn't going to be killed, he was still glad that it was going to be stopped. However, the policeman still wished he could just put the barrel of his gun to the fucking monster's head and blow its brains out.

On the roof of the meat house stood Alucard, only his black silhouette and the gleam of his glasses visible. The skylight allowed him to see everything that was going on in the floors below him. He saw his prey, whatever it was, running, and a team of humans under the creature. The creature hadn't seemed to have noticed them yet, continuing its oblivious travels.

"Well, now," said Alucard to himself. "I think I'll sit this one out. After all, reading about carnage and seeing one's enemies' abilities in person is wholly different. It would be irresponsible if I didn't watch from afar, to assess my enemy's power, right?" With a grin, Alucard disappeared, only to reappear perched on a rafter, legs crossed, hands folded in patience as he waited for the bloodbath to begin.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

It wasn't until he heard a quiet creak of a footstep that the hunter realized he wasn't alone in the warehouse. One of the government's men had carelessly stepped on a metal stair, causing it the grind. Nobody seemed to notice the fatal mistake except for the alien, and the vampire watching calmly above them all. The Predator stopped immediately and crouched low, growling quietly at his own incompetence. Peering around the warehouse, he saw nothing-no heat signatures anywhere.

This frustrated the alien hunter more than anything. He growled, but suddenly remembered the upgrades he had been given on his equipment. The Predator would have grinned. _I have you now. _

Pressing a few buttons on his wrist computer, the vision spectrum of his helmet changed. The dark warehouse became bathed in varies shades of violet, but nothing showed up except for a rain of strange flakes filled the air. The Predator ignored the flakes and cycled through the different spectrums until the warehouse bacame colored in black and white. Several strange red beams were on the floor below, just on the other side of the building. With his vision focusing on the ultraviolet lights the government agents were wearing, he could see them clearly. He watched them moved right under him, very surprised. _Smart little bastards_, he thought, grabbing the condensed spear that hung from his hip.

Alucard grinned. "Looks like Hide and Seek is over. I thinks he wants to play tag." Part of him wanted to grab his own guns and join in the carnage that would soon ensue, but he restrained himself. No point in wasting bullets in those pathetic dogs. Not when there was a real wolf to kill.

With his prey in his sights, the hunter began to move around behind the group of men, circling them, trying to find the best place to ambush them. He did not have to wait long. As he stood on the upper balconey, the men clustered together in a standard defensive circle. Somehow they must have detected him, but could not pinpoint his exact position. Too bad for the men that they clustered about ten feet under the waiting Predator.

"Stupid fools," Alucard hissed in laughter. "Foolish dogs!"

"He's right over your heads! Look up, assholes!" Herrigan roared into the headset that connected him to Keyes. He currently had Keyes second-in-command, at the end of his .45 pistol, and had hijacked the commset when the radar showed the hunter about to slaughter the men. Herrigan didn't like Keyes, but he didn't want to see anyone else fall to the motherfucking alien that had killed Danny.

"Herrigan? Get off the line!" Keyes whispered furiously. Herrigan opened his mouth, about to tear into the ignorant man, when his jaw dropped in horror as he watched the alien drop onto the men's heads. "Aw, fuck," he swore.

The Predator struck without warning. He dropped straight down in the middle of the circle, bringing down his spear onto two of the men's heads, killing them instantly. The others tried to regroup and attack, but the suits they wore and the equipment they carried made them slow compared to the hunter. He killed two more by impaling them on the end of his spear before Keyes was able to stumble far enough back from the bloodshed to activate the ice gun.

Alucard's eyes narrowed as he watched the human fiddling with his gun, trying to attack the Hunter. He decided that, if it seemed his prey was in danger, he would intervene. He wasn't going to let some pathetic human take down such a marvelous foe!

The vampire did not have to move from his perch. The human could not seem to work such state-of-the-art technology. At least, not before the Predator turned to him.

Keyes was cussing and swearing at himself when he noticed the lack of noise around him. Glancing up, his heart seemed to stop as the alien hunter was standing right over him, looking down at him, the metal mask hiding all thoughts and intentions except for the upraised spear...

The explosion caught everyone off-guard. All except Alucard, who mearly glanced at the fiery doorway and watched as a lone man ran through the flames and into the slaughterhouse Hell.

"Seems as though the cavelry has come at last," he grinned.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five 

Herrigan ran through the flames that had engulfed the warehouse door, his only protection a Kevlar vest. The explosion was caused by a grenade he had lobbed from the assault rifle grenade launcher combo in his hands, a shotgun in a leg holster, and his ever faithful .45 in its shoulder holster. He knew the men were dead, and that the motherfucker responsible was going to be in his sights in a few short seconds.

The flames had set off the sprinkler system and in a few seconds he was soaked to the bone. Unsure where exactly the alien was, he hid behind a barrel, but called out a challenge to the monster. "You want me? Come and get me!"

The explosion, and the man's challenge, made the hunter completely forget his cornered prey, and he took off without resetting the cannon. As he ran to the ledge of the catwalk it finally took its shot, right at Keyes screaming face.

The predator jumped down about two stories, silhouetted by the exploding plasma behind him, and was ground level with the human. Attempting to set his cloaking device, it started to short out because of the falling water, causing the alien to curse. His distraction almost proved fatal as Herrigan, able to see the creature, let loose a barrage of bullet, several of which caught the predator in the arm and thigh. The plasma cannon crackled, now useless, and the hunter simply tore it from its shoulder housing. The other bullets simple ricocheted off the little armor he wore.

Alucard watched this stand-off with peaked curiosity, intrigued how this one man had cornered the creature when even a team couldn't do so. He was also intrigued to finally see the thing he was hunting, its cloaking device turned off. It looked like a man, but was larger and bulky with muscle, and at least a foot or two taller than Alucard himself. It had plate armor on its shoulder, thighs, shins, and gauntlets, and only wore a loin cloth from the looks of it. From one of these gauntlets emerged two long serrated edge blades, stabbing weapons of some sort. It also wore a metal mask, completely shielding its head, which was surrounded by thick dreadlocks. He shifted slightly to get a better look at the human, to see if there was any obvious reason why he was able to pin down such a creature single-handedly, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Something red caught his eye, and he glanced up to see-to his utter disbelief-what appeared to be a man sitting in the rafters, grinning like a madman! Herrigan shook his head for a moment to clear it. When he looked up again, the man in the red coat was gone. _Must've been a trick of the light or something_, he thought.

Looking around the corner, the single ooman rushing in was obviously distracted by something in the sky, and so he took his chance to let loose with a personal rocket, one of the last he had.

Herrigan saw the rocket coming, and let off a shot of the pump action shotgun but it went wild. The rocket caught him right in the chest, knocking him into a pile of boxed, feeling like a train engine on fire had just smacked him, sending his gun skittering across the floor.

Feeling confident the human was out of commission, the Predator went over to investigate, only to see the man ripping off the armor he wore, its chest panel glowing red as he did so. It was the only way to escape the third degree burns he would have otherwise received.

Herrigan had just gotten the melting vest off when he saw twin blades coming down on his head. He was just able to dodge the Predator's blades, and started running through the hanging slabs of beef, shoving them as he passed so they'd smack the creature if it followed, hopefully slowing it down.

Alucard chuckled, feeling the human's heart beating faster and faster as it neared a block exit. What would the hunter do to his prize, he wondered? Decapitate it as the reports suggested, or something else just as interesting?

Herrigan ran into a huge metal door, realizing there was no where else to go, and the alien was right on his heels.

The Predator shoved his way through the last of the meat slabs, only to discover the human was holding a shotgun aimed at his face.

With a roar, Herrigan let loose with a barrage of shells, and bright green wounds appeared all over the alien's chest. It roared in pain as it stumbled backwards, and with a final pump, the alien fell on its back, clearly dead.

The rafter Alucard was sitting on was punched so hard it buckled, and the vampire was quaking in rage and disappointment. He had not seen the human with his hand on a gun, and now his prized adversary was dead. The fight was over, and he didn't get a single bit of the fun to be had. _If a single human could kill it, what fun would it have been for you to fight? _he heard a voice in his mind say. It was true, however. Maybe he would go down and drain the man, and have him as a familiar-his tenacity and ingenuity could prove useful one day...

Herrigan was shocked that he had killed it, and stood frozen in disbelief for a moment before cautiously making his way forward. Overhead, the sprinklers had finally run out of water, and shut off one by one.

The policeman poked the alien in the chest with his gun, but it didn't move, or even breathe. Getting bolder, he tried to remove its metal mask, realized there were tubes preventing this, and disconnected them, sending streams of white gas into the air.

Alucard, those now getting depressed, leaned forward see he too could see the face of his most intriguing foe.

Both man and vampire were of the same mindset as the mask was finally removed to reveal the alien's face: a large forehead with striped purple patterns on it, deep-set eyes surrounded by bristles, and its mouth, flanked by four large mandibles, or tusks. _He's one-_

"Ugly mother-aaagh!" Herrigan yelped at the predator grabbed him by the throat and brought him close.

"Mother-fucker!" the alien finished as he tossed the human away like a rag doll.

Alucard began laughing maniacally. His foe had simply played them for fools! The game would continue!

The Predator was hurt, and extremely pissed off now. Grabbing the human's weapon, he easily shattered it against the concrete floor. Turning back, he roared at the ooman who was struggling to get up, and started after him. Just before he was able to reach him, another male jumped in his way. From the burns on his face, he had been able to dodge the plasma cannon.

Keyes let loose with a stream of cold air right at the Predator, forcing it to step back from blast upon blast of freezing air. He turned to Herrigan when the creature disappeared from the cold. "Get out of here! I saved your ass, and this is between me, and him!"

As he turned back, something that looked like a discuss was cutting its way through the beef slabs like tissue paper-and cut the government man right in half. Now there was nothing between the man and alien.

Using Keyes' death as a cover, the police man ran as fast as he could up the metal stairs that lead to the roof, the creature's roars following him all the way up. Alucard disappeared from his rafter seat and appeared back on the roof, already pulling out his Jackal.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Herrigan knew that alien bastard was going to be up on the roof at any second, trying to rip his throat out. Luckily, the top of the roof was home to various shed-like structures, which would give him the advantage of surprise as he ducked behind one. His ears strained for any sounds, a shuffle, a step, a breath, anything to give away the alien's position. The policeman couldn't depend on his eyes after all—having an enemy that could turn invisible was a situation he'd never been properly trained for.

A few meters from his position was a crunch, a possible footstep on the gravel-encrusted roof. Herrigan forced his back against the wall of the shed, shaking hands holding a death grip on his gun as he tried to ready himself to turn the corner and take a shot.

His breath was ragged and as loud as thunder, his heartbeat pounded in his ears a tempo of a thousand war drums. He had to remind himself that he wasn't basically shouting his position for all to hear; he attempted to take in deep calming breathes, so he really wouldn't give himself away if the creature was just around the corner….

Despite his best efforts, his plan failed.

Herrigan had only closed his eyes for a few short seconds before he was attacked—from behind.

Several things seemed to wrap around him, binding him effortlessly. A dozen spectral hands were growing from the wall and had wrapped around him body, their strength enough to easily stifle any movement from the surprised cop. A white gloved hand, a strange pentagram designing gracing the back, wrapped around his mouth to keep him from shouting.

Herrigan was now truly terrified. He was completely helpless, bound in a cocoon of hands. He wanted to try and wiggle free, to scream even though he knew it would be muffled.

Luckily, a small part of his mind was calm enough to keep him from doing as such. If he moved, and the alien found him, he'd be dead, his skull another trophy for the sadistic killer.

Something was wrong. This wasn't the hunter's work. From what he had seen, this alien hunter was all attack, no real tricks or traps. If you were armed, and displayed yourself to be a worthy prize, he'd attack. This was something different. _What the hell is-?_

The cop's eyes grew to the size of saucers as a head of a man phased through the wall right next to him. The skin was deathly pale, shrouded with ink black hair and wearing a large red hat. His eyes, however, were hidden behind a pair of reddish/orange lensed glasses.

The man grinned impossibly wide (it seemed to split his very skull), revealing a maw full of razor fangs. The glasses slipped down his nose to reveal glowing, blood-red eyes, which were looking at Herrigan with such a deep intensity he knew that, if he survived this, those eyes would haunt his nightmares from the rest of his life.

_Oh fucking hell, it's the Devil himself! _Thought the poor cop.

Alucard cocked his head as though he could hear the man's thought, and chuckled.

"Not exactly, but I'm sure he'd appreciate the compliment," said the vampire king.

His smile disappeared, and he looked at Herrigan seriously. "There's an essence about you, a sense of bitter resentment and anger. Your accomplishments have meant nothing, your friend's lives, taken without warning. You hold a vendetta against this…hunter. And if freed, you will continue until one or both of you are dead."

Herrigan was still, watching the strange spectre with awe and terror. How did he know what Herrigan's very thoughts were?

"Your sense of obligation to your dead comrades is…honorable." The vampire paused. "Honorable, but problematic. I cannot let you kill this particular predator. He and I still have blows and bullets to share, you see. It's been a long, long time since I've had anything close to the amount of fun I've had on this mission."

Herrigan felt a shudder of ice run down his spine as Alucard peered at him, and cracked that satanic smile again. "I don't meet such interesting people in my line of work. And if I do, they are usually on the other end of my gunsight. I like you, Herrigan, so I won't kill you," Alucard said, causing the cop to jerk in surprise at the use of his name.

The cop's feeling of relief at hearing he wouldn't be killed was almost instantly realized the unspoken "but" that was implied. His worry became gut wrenching fear as the vampire's grin grew exponentially.

"I simply hope the knowledge that you will be able to fight and kill new enemies for the next eternity will be enough to assuage your need for blood and vengeance."

Despite the wall of frozen fear that was surrounding his mind, a few key words were able to break through.

_Fight…kill….eternity….what the hell is he…?_

Before a question could even fully form in his mind, Alucard's fangs sank deep into the cop's neck. His terror-filled heart worked against him, quickly pumping his blood into the vampire's waiting jaws. There wasn't any real pain after the initial bite, just the gathering tide of sleepiness that washed over him. His mind stayed alive just long enough for him to think _My partner was killed by an alien, and I got myself killed by a vampire…._

Alucard drained the man quickly. He did not want the hunter to come across him as he fed, when he was more likely to succumb to bloodlust and kill the hunter without thinking. He also did it as a small token of respect to his new familiar, Herrigan. After all, the man had drawn the hunter's blood. That was no small feat. Despite his…humanity…Herrigan would be useful later.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The Predator crouched on the edge of the skylight where he'd followed the ooman up. He clicked a tusk in slight irritation when he saw the number of small structures that doted the rooftop. There were so many places for his prey to hide, and he was running blind without his helmet (left behind in the warehouse, possibly even destroyed). Like all Yautja, he was trained to hunt without the mask, but he had yet to actually use those skills in real time.

Unclipping the spare respirator from his belt, he took several deep breaths, hoping this would tide him over until he could go back to get his mask. He could survive without the mask, but the air was too dry here—he was used to a much more humid climate. The respirator had a humidifier to make breathing more comfortable and altogether easier for his kind.

He glanced around, suddenly remembering that he hadn't seen the strange ooman without a heat signature since he had gotten shot. Had the ooman decided to stay away? _Doubtful_, the Predator thought, _he challenged me, after all. He'll be back, and when he is, I'll be waiting._

Until then, he had a particular ooman to kill.

The Predator surveyed the roof once more, then let loose with a bellowing roar; he was issuing a challenge to his prey, but he was also attempting to terrify it into making a fatal move. A flock of pigeons fled at the intense noise, but otherwise there was no movement.

He clicked a tusk again and began his manual search of the area. Though his cloaking device was still broken, he didn't need it to sneak around the roof without being seen.

Several minutes later, the hunter still had not encountered the ooman who had shot him. He was actually beginning to wonder if it was even still on the roof—he hadn't heard a single noise, nor smelled any of the particular scent oomans as a species carried. Carefully coming around the corner of another structure, he literally stumbled over the ooman's corpse.

It was propped up against the wall, and from its stiffened frame, he knew immediately it was dead. Being a hunter meant the Predator was almost bored at the sight of a corpse, but this one did interest him. There was something…wrong with it.

Glancing around and seeing the coast clear, he leaned down and examined the body carefully. There was no wound he could discern, no bruises, no cuts, nothing. Just the fading heat signature his eyes could pick up. Except the strange look that had frozen the ooman's face—it was an expression he was used to seeing on his own victims.

It was a look of pure, unadulterated terror.

_Who did this? _The hunter wondered, ticking to himself in thought. What killed him without leaving as much as a trace behind?

_No, there_, he thought, spying something on the man's neck. Grabbing the head he turned it carefully, and two puncture wounds in the neck presented themselves, coal-black dots to his eyes.

_Puncture wounds on the jugular, and no blood? Not even a drop? _Looking down, he reaffirmed that the gravel on the rooftop was devoid of any blood.He had hunted enough prey to know that it was possible to kill something without making much of a mess. To exsanguinate something but leave no trace of the blood behind—that took much work.

And time. The ooman's body was still warm, but there was a creeping coolness creeping into the corpse, what once was red, yellow, and orange was quickly becoming pale blue. Whoever, or whatever, had killed the man had done it just moments before.

A myriad of emotions washed over the Predator as he glanced around once more. One was irritation: this was _his_ ooman, _his_ kill. The ooman had drawn his blood, but he had been denied the ability to return the favor. His honor would have to be assuaged with other trophy.

Curiosity was another one. _Who killed him, and why in this fashion? How did they do it without alerting me to their presence?_ Many questions, but the Predator was not in the business of finding answers.

He was here to find worthy foes, and make them into worthy trophies.

He gripped the handle to his combistick tighter, a determined growl escaping him.

Suddenly, footsteps behind him. The Predator whipped around, dreadlocks flying through the air at his speed, to face Alucard standing only ten feet from him. The vampire stood with his profile to the Predator.

"I've got you all to myself once more," Alucard said, unmoving. A small breeze tousled his black hair, obscuring his face. A toothy grin grew across his features. "This game is getting interesting, and I won't let you get away so easily this time, hunter."

The Predator's eyes flitted back and forth, scanning the area before him. The second the voice spoke, he recognized the voice of the strange ooman, upon him once again. The one that had challenged him earlier was now back.

Two things made the Predator pause. One was the fact that the ooman seemed to appear without warning straight behind him. No footsteps, no breath hitched in fear. Nothing ever got the drop on him-he was a Yautja! He was one of the greatest race of hunters in the galaxy!

The second was the fact that the Predator could not actually _see_ Alucard. The Predator saw heat signatures, and sometimes if he focused he could follow the outlines of moving objects.

Alucard was dead—he gave off no heat signature.

He was also dressed almost entirely in red, blending him into the hunter's red-tinged sight perfectly.

Without his mask attuned to that specific setting, Alucard was invisible to the hunter.

A strange sensation wormed its way into his midsection. A sensation that only intensified when the breeze shifted and a new scent assaulted him. The scent's undertone was that of an old, dusty, long-abandoned tomb, overpowered by the sickeningly strong scent of heavy, greasy copper—fresh blood.

This was the one who had killed the ooman.

This one, who could seemingly appear out of nowhere, who was essentially invisible, whom could kill and drain a ooman of his blood within moments, was the Predator's challenger.

The Predator did not find the irony of the situation funny at all.

"Now then," Alucard said calmly as he removed his hat with one hand and dropped it to the ground, then removed his glasses. A sadistic grin covered his features as he turned towards the Predator, lifted his arms before him, and made a rectangle with his index and middle fingers.

"Let me show you how a real vampire does battle!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Seconds seemed to stretch into years as the two hunters stared each other done, neither moving, just watching. A warm breeze blew between them, bringing with it the smells and sounds of the city: meat from the slaughterhouse and choking oil, police sirens and gunshots in the distance.

Alucard's sadistic grin didn't even falter as half of his body changed shape into an oily black mass, red eyes springing up like demonic wildflowers in spring. Where his hand had been was now a giant head with multiple pairs of eyes and a mouth full of teeth the size of steak knives. The creature's head turned towards the alien and let loose with a howl, gnashing its teeth. It seemed to pull at Alucard's very being, as if trying to escape the vampire's body.

Baskerville had always been an impatient pup. Especially when dinner was about to be served.

Though young, the Predator was proud of his fearless nature. He was a natural hunter, and nothing scared him. Not even the Xenomorphs in his Rite of Passage terrified him as much as the monster in front of him.

_A shape-shifter ooman? No Elder spoke of such like this! _The fear radiated from his midsection to his limbs, making him tremble and quake. His throat ran dry, but the proud warrior in his mind tried to play it off from the atmosphere. _Too dry, just can't breathe. I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid…._

Alucard threw his head back and laughed when the Predator took a step back from the spreading pool of evil oozing from the vampire's body.

_How does one hunt shadows? Think, think! _

"You've given me a good run," Alucard said. "But I think it's time to make this a little more interesting. So, hunter, does your kind run with hounds as well?"

Baskerville barked again, the very sound shaking the very foundations of the Predator's soul. He couldn't understand English, but the beast with the snapping jaws that appeared to be large enough to crush his head spoke loudly enough.

"Get him, boy," Alucard urged, and the mass of black shadows leapt forth at lightning speed, racing to tear the Predator limb from limb.

Forced to action, he channeled his deep-seated terror into energy to swing his combi-stick down onto the beast's head as hard as he could. Instead of feeling the impact of the spear as it crushed flesh and bone, the spear continued on through the head as it disappeared in a smoky wisp. The force carried the Predator to the side, making him stumble and almost fall.

The alien hunter turned his yellow and black eyes towards Alucard, surprise and anger etched onto his face. _How does one hunt shadows?! Think, think! _

The vampire laughed at the Predator's expresson. "Can't make it too easy," he taunted.

Suddenly, there were many, racing towards the Predator from all sides. He extended the spear and started stabbing the oncoming hellhounds, using the momentum of his powerful stabs to spin in place, dispatching the shadow beasts as quickly as possible. The Predator tried to stab at the eyes, but piercing them did not seem to slow the thing down at all.

His wrist blades swiped through the creatures with little resistance as he spun, dreadlocks flying in all directions. It was getting very difficult to breathe, the monsters pushing him back towards the ledge of the roof and away from his precious, missing mask.

His actions became a macabre dance as he moved, ducking and dodging the shadowy creatures while delivering his own attacks. Graceful sidesteps married powerful punches and thrusts as the Predator tore through Alucard's hound. It was taking a lot of the vampire's energy to keep resurrecting the hellhound and making multiples for the hunter to fight back.

It was more difficult to move around when he had released his restrictions to such a powerful state, explaining why Alucard didn't attempt to move on the Predator while it was distracted by the vicious Baskerville. _Besides, Baskerville deserves a good fight now and then. Sometimes even he has to work for his next meal…hehehe._

A small window of a few seconds appeared in the wall of shadow hounds and the Predator made a break for it, gaining several yards back from the vampire and his minions. A hound, the first one of this new batch of creatures, leapt towards the Predator, maw open as rows upon rows of teeth waited to rip him asunder. Instead, the Predator turned and drove his spear deep into the creature's throat. It fell to the drop, choking on the spear sticking out a few feet from its mouth.

Looking down at his wrist, the Predator realized there was only one way to kill this monster. Before the vampire could send any new beasts to attack him, he popped open his wrist computer to set the countdown for his Bomb.

Alucard walked forward, and saw the alien hunter start to rummage with his wrist device, and the sudden rhythmic beeping alerted the vampire to his plan. _Going to kill us both in a blaze of glory? I don't think so. _

"You're not going to kill me that easily, hunter!" The vampire said, anger tainting his words. Suicide was not a worthy death, and Alucard refused to allow this fight to end so melodramatically.

The Predator spread his legs wide, and threw his arms to the sides, issuing a loud roar that actually made Alucard's very being vibrate. His final challenge was issued. The Bomb was set. He would die but so would the shape-shifter. Knowing he had won in the end would make his death honorable, acceptable.

A clicking, gagging sound drew the Predator's attention, and he saw a puddle of the vampire's evil black ooze, dozens of eyes staring eerily at him. The puddle formed into a familiar head and jaws, but the shadow hound didn't leap at him. Instead it opened its jaws wide, wide enough for the Predator to see his combi-stick stuck inside its throat. With a click, the spear shot like a rocket at its original owner. The Predator didn't dodge fast enough, and the spear glancing past him, slicing through the muscle of his upper left arm almost all the way to the bone.

The beeping of the computer got faster and faster as the strange flashing dots disappeared, the time getting closer and closer to the end. But still he kept fighting. The Predator wouldn't stop until the Bomb detonated, and even then he'd keep fighting.

A roar of pain escaped the hunter, but before he could turn the hound was racing towards him again, jaws snapping together audibly. He punched his left arm out, straight into the throat of the new hound, trying to protect himself.

Baskerville chomped down, hard, slicing through the bone cleanly as though cleaved with a blade. Taking half the Predator's arm with him, the hellhound swallowed his prize whole and with gusto. With the wrist computer torn in half, the Bomb was useless.

Pain like he had never experienced shot through him, and the Predator bellowed incredibly loudly, mandibles flaring. Reacting completely on instinct, he stabbed the hound through the beast's head with his wrist blades, trying to get it off. Baskerville disappeared in a wisp of black shadow, the missing limb gone as well.

Disoriented from pain, the hunter took another step back—and fell right off the roof of the slaughterhouse.

"NO!" Alucard snarled as he saw the hunter fall off the roof of the building. The aspect of winning this fight because of a literal misstep was not acceptable! He raced forward to see where the hunter landed, to see if it had (impossibly so) survived the fall.

Looking over the railing, he saw a rain gutter torn away and had crashed into the building across the way. From the large hole knocked into the side, and lack of body, he decided it was safe to say the hunter had survived.

For now.

"Luck won't save you in the end, hunter," Alucard said with a chuckle, leaping onto the edge of the roof, red coat moving gently around him. He had regained control of his playful hound, and resumed his normal body shape. The foul taste of the hunter's blood still lingered on his old tongue from Baskerville's meal. Whatever the hunter's blood was, it was disgusting indeed. This annoyed the old vampire greatly; he had hoped to feast on the hunter in the end, bring him into the eternal darkness that made up the vampire's being.

He was not looking forward to such a disgusting meal after such a vigorous battle….

The Predator only lay on the floor of the bathroom for a few seconds, trying to regain his wits. The loss of his favorite weapon, arm, and near-death had thrown the alien for a loop. He looked around to see the room he was in had plaster tiles that served as the walls. _It will work for cauterizing the wound. It'll _have_ too. Got to move fast before more of those shadow-hounds find me. _

He got to his feet slower than he wanted, but faster than his body safely allowed, and nausea ripped through his stomach. His chest was burning from the gunshot wounds, lack of proper atmosphere, and crashing through a brick wall. Punching a whole in the wall above the sink to get at the plaster, he could only hope his instincts were right.

_If I can bring him to the ship, the clan can help me kill him. Perhaps the Elder will know how to deal with this monster. Just have to get to the ship. Just have to get to the clan!_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Alucard walked vertically down the side of the tall warehouse towards the bent gutter. The wind channeled through the tall buildings tugged gently at his duster and his long inky hair. For once, he wasn't wearing his manic smile as he moved, silent as ever. Instead, he was contemplative about how this fight was about to change directions. The Hunter was now the hunted, and it was obvious the vampire had the upper hand. How was the creature going to react now that it was cornered and missing its arm?

He jumped, and hovered a few seconds before coming to land gently on the fallen pipe. His reddish-orange eyes narrowed at the 7 foot tall hole in the side of the building the pipe lead up to. He could see movement, and hear sounds, but the hunter stayed just out of his sight.

Suddenly, a huge bellow radiated from the inner room, shaking the building to its core. The pipe swayed under him from the thunderous noise, but he managed to stay upright.

The manic grin returned. "Well, that's a good sign. He's not dead…yet."

The old vampire reached into his old red duster and pulled forth his Jackal. Quietly, and with a grin that revealed many of his fangs, he quietly crept up the pipe. His left arm crossed over his chest, and he rested the Jackal on it, keeping his sights steady on the hole, watching for movement. Alucard curled his long finger around the trigger, ready to kill the hunter once and for all.

_Though this hunt has been fun, it's time to finish this up. The sun will be up soon, and I can't enjoy a hunt if my senses are in a fog. Let's finish this, hunter!_

Alucard took another step forward, gun at the ready, and his head finally became level to look inside the ruined apartment bathroom.

As soon as Alucard's face appeared, the Predator attacked. Since Alucard was still incredibly hard to detect visually, the Predator waited until the familiar stench of blood and death hit him forcefully. Knowing his bellow of pain would draw forth the enemy, he sprung his impromptu trap.

Holding the lid to the tank of the toilet, he flung the thing like a Frisbee at the vampire, taking him completely by surprise. The porcelain top, flung with as much force as the Predator could muster despite his weakened state, caught Alucard in the face and carried him into the building across the street. The force of the blow embedded the vampire into the side of the building. Plaster and brick showered over him as he hung stunned for a moment.

As soon as he flung the heavy ceramic top, the Predator was off and running, not even bothering to see what damage he'd done. He smashed through the flimsy doorway, almost giving the terrified old woman holding a broom a heart attack as he ran past her. Walls, doorways, people; nothing mattered as the Predator smashed his way through all of them. He didn't need his computer to tell him wear the ship was, he could _smell_ it.

And it was right under him.

He ran to the end of the hall, his weight almost making him cave through the relatively thin floor; he could feel it bow under the strain. At the end of the hall were a pair of elevator doors, which he came to a skidding halt in front of. As a dozen confused people watched the Predator with stunned disbelief etched on their faces, he kicked the doors open, knocking them almost clean off the hinges.

He swung his arm forward and grabbed one of the dented panels and ripped it completely off its broken hinges, and tossed it inside the elevator shaft. There was silence for 5 seconds before he heard the smash as it hit the floor.

"Face me, Hunter!" yelled a voice. The Predator whipped around, dreadlocks flying, to see Alucard running forth at supernatural speed. Even running, he still managed to pull out his Jackal, and attempt to take aim at the alien.

The other door to the elevator hung limply from a single hinge, and it was this that the Predator grabbed and ripped from the wall, whipping around to use it as a shield. Alucard began taking shots and the people that had been watching the strange situation ran screaming into what was left of their respective apartments.

Most of the bullets went through the panel like it was wet paper, but the Predator continued to use it until Alucard was closer. With a dull roar he then shoved it as hard as he could at the advancing vampire. Normally the vampire could dodge such an attack easily, but the tight quarters of the hallway gave him no room to move. The metal panel shoved him backwards threw a wall.

As Alucard shook his head and produced a cloud of dust from the crumbled plaster, he snarled in anger. He had underestimated his prey's ability to fight back, again, and now the chase was on once more.

"I'm getting very annoyed with being thrown through walls," the vampire king said sullenly, standing up and busting the dust from his duster with an annoyed gesture. Picking up the Jackal from under a hunk of dry wall, he strode purposefully towards the elevator shaft, and looked down.

Several floors down, he could see a large hole punched through the floor into a dark inner space. There was no blood around the entrance, so he took this to mean the Predator was still alive.

"This is starting to get old, hunter," Alucard huffed, and without hesitation he jumped down into the shaft. His duster flared out behind him, and he used it to steer as he plummeted into the black abyss. His eyes flashed as he realized there was something huge only thirty feet or so beneath the floor of the apartment building, and he landed heavily on top of it. Standing quickly and drawing his gun, the vampire looked to see he was standing on top of what could only be described as a bronze-colored craft of some sort, about 200 yards wide and saucer shaped with an immense exhaust tower.

"A…ship? You really aren't from around here, are you?" the vampire said quietly. Jackal in hand, he made his way quietly down the side of the craft to the ground. As he scanned the area, it was clear the hunter was not around.

"How on earth did you hide this down here with no one noticing? These Americans are denser than I remember…." Alucard said. Moving slowly, he made his way around, and finally found a tall entrance way filled with a gently, pulsing golden glow.

"Killing you on your own ground should provide great amusement indeed," Alucard mused.

* * *

THE CONCLUSION TO THIS THRILLING FIGHT FIC WILL BE NEXT! STAY TUNED!


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